Transporting a Body Via Airplane: Everything You Need To Know

The transportation of a dead body is not something you can get used to unless you’re actually in the business itself. The most common reason bodies are transported via an airplane is because the deceased person has died away from the place that they would’ve wanted to be buried in. Some people write where they would like to bury or if they’d like their body cremated or not in their will. The first point of contact happens between the family or hospital and the funeral home; where the funeral home sends someone to extract the dead body and preserve it in their care.

There are some decisions that a funeral home may have the liberty to take, like embalming or freezing the body before transportation. Preservation techniques will vary according to the distance the body is going to travel. Transportation of a body is still an ordeal for anyone close, they have to make the right arrangements while also being grief-stricken. It’s common to hire two different funeral homes for the transportation of a body; one should prepare the body for the shipping process while the other is handles conducting the funeral itself. We’ll be providing you with a brief guide that should get you acquainted with the dynamics included in the transportation of a body using an airplane.

Approved shipper

For a body to be shipped via an airplane, there are some governmental approvals that need to be granted for a funeral home. Before you think that any funeral home should be suitable for the job, ask them if they are a known shipper who is allowed to ship a body overseas or across states. You should know that the Transportation Security Administration has strict rules against anyone, even if it’s the deceased family, trying to make the transportation arrangements without being a known shipper.

Buying plans

If someone travels often, then they are a good potential candidate for subscribing to travel protection plans. Paying a substantially smaller fee ensures that all the transportation arrangements are going to be handled by a known shipper. This is ideal for those who are against dragging in any family or friends in the hassle of trying to bring the body back to the origin country in addition to paying a lot of money while doing so.

Cremation

Cremation doesn’t necessarily mean going against someone’s wishes, but it could be the only way to retrieve their bodies back from a very far place, otherwise, it would be impossible to retrieve. The cost of retrieving a body can be seriously expensive, it could reach $5,000 easily depending on the location. If you’re unable to afford it or even prefer not to, cremation is a pretty good solution that is relatively cheap compared to all other methods. There are some considerations about TSA regulations that you should keep in mind while you’re arranging to travel with an urn. The most common problem encountered when flying with a cremation urn is the effect of the urn material on x-ray efficiency. Using a metal cremation urn is not allowed as it will not allow complete visibility with x-ray, the best materials that pass TSA checks are wood and plastic. You can even use them as a temporary urn and then place the insides in any other urn once you reach the funeral home.

Embalming

Most states require embalming either for leaving or entering of a whole body. Simply moving the body using any commercially available carriers’ needs to be embalmed according to some states. Embalming comes with its fair share of problems; a lot of religions are against embalming, and this could cause a little issue because a lot of states disapproves most full-body transportation unless it’s embalmed.

Shipping

Local shipping of cremated remains is provided by only one company, USPS. There are no competitors, but that doesn’t mean that USPS is slacking off; it provides very detail-oriented guidelines that can help you ensure that the cremated remains arrive safely with no damage. If you’re going to ship the remains internationally, double check that the airport of the country you’re shipping to allow its shipping.

When you transport a body of an airplane, you may be under a bit of stress. It’s very important to find a funeral home that will take care of the arrangements and guide you swiftly so it wouldn’t end up adding extra distress to a stressful situation. There is more than one way to get a body on an airplane; it’s your job to find the most practical one for your needs.